Apple’s eighth-generation iPad-mini/">iPad mini upgrades its display, performance, speakers and camera while making the compact tablet slightly thinner and lighter. The starting price is £699, €749, $699 or A$1,099 — £200 more than the previous model’s original price.
The redesign is about 1mm thinner and 38g lighter than its predecessor, while fitting a larger 8.5-inch OLED screen into a slightly smaller body. The display is bright and vivid, with deep blacks, but its 60Hz refresh rate lacks the smoother scrolling offered by Apple’s ProMotion screens. The tablet is also the first iPad with IP67 water resistance, rated for submersion in up to one metre of water for 30 minutes.
Apple has moved the 12MP video-call camera to the tablet’s landscape edge. The iPad mini still does not have Face ID, relying instead on Touch ID in the power button. Its speakers use tweeters set into gaps around the display and woofers that play through the screen, producing powerful sound that is difficult to block while holding the tablet.
The A20 Pro chip, also used in the iPhone 18 Pro and Duo, delivers strong performance. Models differ in CPU cores and neural processing performance depending on storage configuration. Apple lists 12GB of RAM and storage options of 128GB, 256GB and 512GB.
Battery life is around nine to 10 hours for lighter activities such as browsing, email, note-taking and video playback, falling to about six to eight hours during gaming. With a USB-C power adaptor of at least 35W, the battery reaches roughly 50% in under 30 minutes and a full charge in about 100 minutes; the adaptor is sold separately.
The price places the mini £270 above the £429 base iPad and just £50 below the £749 11-inch iPad Air. The review describes it as the best small tablet available, particularly for people who value portability for commuting, travel or note-taking, as well as for workplace uses such as payments and check-ins. However, the 60Hz screen, lack of Face ID and high price may make the less expensive iPad or iPad Air a better choice for many buyers.
Sources: The Guardian Technology.